New Beginnings
by queenpearl
Summary: A novilization of Deadliest Catch: Season 2 from the ship's perspective.
1. Chapter 1: Heading Out to Sea

Chapter 1~ Heading out to Sea

Northwestern looked around her at the few boats that would take part in this year's King Crab Season. Due to the new IFQ system, the fleet had been cut down from 220 boats to just 83. Northwestern had to say goodbye to several good friends like Lady Alaska, whose growing blindness prevented her from fishing anyway, or Lucky Lady, the shrimp of the fleet. She was so small that the new system would never work for her. "Be good in Seattle alright." Northwestern growled. Lucky Lady laughed. "I may be small, but I'm a giant of a troublemaker." She replied. Northwestern chuckled. "I know that, just mind your manners alright." She said. "I'll be a good girl." Lucky Lady promised.

Not all ships were leaving though. Northwestern saw that her closest friends and rivals, Maverick and his partner boat Cornelia Marie were staying. Time Bandit, who had played around a lot last year chasing Northwestern and the other boats around was coming back as well. They all faced each other now as their captains and crews met at the local UniSea Bar. Crude oil was served but Northwestern, due to her pregnancy, didn't drink but that didn't stop her from being rowdy. "I beat ya last year!" She laughed to Cornelia. "With this new system, I'll beat you this season." The blue ship countered. Northwestern merely shrugged and said "Well, I'm glad I'm the ass to beat." They all laughed and slowly the party broke up.

Morning came and well she was all prepped and ready to go, Northwestern did not leave port. The reason being, it was Friday. "You can leave at 11:59 pm on Thursday night or 12:01 on Saturday morning but you never, ever leave port on a Friday!" Maverick said. "Why do you think I'm stuck here?" Northwestern grumbled. "You wanna go out?" He said. She nodded. "Yes but I'm not gonna." She said. "Well, I say you're all wimps." Time Bandit said as he passed them. "You aren't actually going out are you?!" Northwestern exclaimed. "You bet I am. S'long cowards" Time Bandit replied as he left. "Oohh, I hate him!" The white ship hissed. "Nah, you don't mean that." Maverick said. "But I do, he's an arrogant, whiny, foolhardy little…" Northwestern snarled. Maverick chuckled. "He likes you." He said simply. "He likes me?! How could he possibly like me?!" Northwestern exclaimed. "Well, he does." Maverick replied. Northwestern made a face. "I've had one guy already and that is quite enough. He can take his advances elsewhere for all I care." She sniffed. Maverick said nothing as she curled up to sleep.

The next morning, it was Saturday and Northwestern could leave port which she happily did. She noticed though that Maverick was still stuck at dock. "You aren't coming?" She asked. "No, I can't." Maverick replied miserably. "I failed my inspection. Too many pots." Northwestern sucked in a breath. Since Big Valley, the Coast Guard had been more prominent in enforcing their regulations, particularly the one regarding the safe number of pots a boat could have. Big Valley was determined to have sunk in that storm from being top heavy. Northwestern remembered seeing he had a lot of pots on deck. If it wasn't for that, he'd be here now.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Well, you listen to what the Coast Guard says. Those rules are there for a good reason and its right of them to enforce it." She growled. "I figured you would say that Northwestern." Maverick sighed. "Well, alright. I'll be good." He said. "You'd better or I'll come back here and give you a good whooping. I may be a doddering pregnant lady but I'm no slacker." She growled. "Of that, I have no doubts." Maverick replied. Northwestern smiled and left, Cornelia close beside her. Northwestern saw that the blue ship was sailing with her head down, there was a slight limp in the way she moved. "You alright, Cornelia?" She asked, concerned. "I'm fine." Cornelia rasped. "Just a bit stiff is all." She replied. "I'll bet, sitting at that dock for as long as you have." Northwestern said. Cornelia chuckled. As they reached the parting point Cornelia called "Good luck Northwestern!" Northwestern paused to look back at her, her blue eyes unusually soft. "Thanks, you too." She answered and raced away. A whole new season awaited her out here and while the rules may be different, Northwestern was a survivor. She'd spent her whole life out here and she knew that she'd not have it any other way.


	2. Chapter 2: Batten Down the Hatches

Chapter 2~Batten Down the Hatches

Rollo knew before his captain said anything that it was bad. It hurt like hell to say the least. He still wasn't sure how it happened. One minute he was happily fishing crab and the next, he was groaning in pain from the leaking hydraulics on the crane. This was not the first time this week that some sort of mechanical failure had occurred. He already had broken hoses on the coiling block, had lost two pots overboard when the lines snapped and a broken steering computer. The latter was causing severe pain in his head and was causing problems with his eyesight, as most of that equipment would do to a ship when it failed. Eric leaned out of the wheelhouse window. "Hey Rollo, are you sure you don't want to go back to Dutch." He said. Rollo nodded bravely. "I'm sure." He said. Eric new there was no arguing with his ship so he agreed to keep fishing.

Not too far away, Cornelia Marie was having similar problems. The soreness she had in her engines leaving port had become a stabbing, throbbing pain. Any slight move sent waves of pain up and down her hull. She knew that there was something wrong, building pressure in one of her main engines. The pressure increased and increased. The blue ship moaned then shrieked in agony as it was released suddenly as a head gasket blew. "Ah, oh god damn it!" She cried. Phil stroked her side. "Steady now girl." He said gruffly. Turning to Murray he said "I want you to go down there and give me a full report now!" Murray knew not to argue with his captain and raced away. Cornelia moaned in agony. She wanted to roll on her side and just relax for a few minutes but she knew that with her crew onboard in these rough waters it was not a good idea. She gave a small, pathetic little whimper, hunkering down and curling up as best she could. "I know it hurts and I hate to do this to ya but we have to go back to Dutch." Phil said. Cornelia groaned, forcing herself to stand staunch and proud on the water. "Think you can manage that?" He asked. "I'll try my best sir." She answered and limping worse than ever, she turned back for port.

Maverick was there in Dutch when she arrived, still having not retaken his failed coast guard inspection. "Hey Cornelia, what are you doing back here so early?!" He called. "Don't ask." She groaned, limping into her berth. She didn't wait for the mooring lines to be secure, she rolled on her side as soon as she stopped moving. "Rough trip?" Maverick asked. "You have no idea." She sighed. "I would if you told me." Maverick grumbled. Cornelia winced from the pain in her engines before replying "I blew a head gasket and I think I have worse damage than that." Maverick whistled. "Damn, must be painful." He said. "Anything with engines is painful." She moaned. He nuzzled her. "Now you just rest. I'll be here." He whispered. Cornelia didn't argue, she sighed and closed her eyes.

When she woke, the news she learned wasn't good. As she suspected, a lot worse was done to her main engine and parts had to be ordered from the mainland. It would take at least a week to get to Dutch, weather permitting. "Weather permitting," she grumbled. "I'm stuck here for a month then." She sighed. Maverick nudged her. "Now don't you think like that." He chided. "How can I not?" She wondered. Unspilt tears shimmered in her silver-blue eyes. "It hurts Maverick! It hurts so much." She sobbed. Maverick cradled her as she cried. Whimpering and moaning in agony, Cornelia was more grateful for Maverick's presence than she could ever say. She didn't know if she could endure this pain alone. She was no stranger to it, having done this sort of work her whole life but this was something new to her and for the first time in a long while, she was not numb to it. She cried and whimpered into Maverick's side. The slightly smaller male showed no resistance to her and let her stay for as long as she wanted. It was then Cornelia realized that Maverick wasn't doing this out of kindness. He loved her. She smiled. i"He loves me."/iShe thought. She'd never given much thought to males in that way, or in general for that matter. She only cared about fishing but so had Northwestern and she was pregnant with Big Valley's kids. Cornelia closed her eyes and sighed. "Thank you." She murmured to Maverick. He smiled. "You're welcome darling." He said, kissing her atop her head. Cornelia giggled shyly put she didn't resist as he tilted her head up and his lips met hers.


	3. Chapter 3: On the Crab

Chapter 3~ On the Crab

Northwestern was trying her hardest to haul pots in the heavy seas up north. It wasn't easy though. Waves were tossing her in every direction and she didn't have the equilibrium she was used to. Pregnancy had turned her into a doddering sissy although she refused to accept that notion. Approaching the next string, she suddenly stopped, moaning. "North, what's the matter?" Sig asked. "I-We have to get to shelter, now!" She growled. "Why, what's going on North?" Sig asked. "I don't have time to argue with you, set a course for Amak Island now!" She hissed. He nodded and turned her for the island.

Northwestern knew she had to hurry. Her shiplings were coming, she could feel it. As if it wasn't hard enough to sail in these seas, the contractions made it even harder but she had to keep going. She reached Amak Island in a few hours and by that time she was exhausted. Time Bandit was nearby and raising anchor he raced over. "All of you, get off!" She growled. Sig and his crew complied and as Time Bandit raced alongside they jumped off. Time Bandit retreated away from the laboring white vessel as Northwestern rolled on her side.

One of the cameraman remained behind and sat on her exposed side above water. "North, talk to me." He said. "With your hand, feel down my side." She ordered. He did as he was told. After a few seconds he gasped. "How many are there?" He asked. "Two I think." Northwestern replied, groaning. "Easy, take it easy now." He said, stroking her. He sighed. "Start pushing North!" He growled. A pained scream escaped her as she pushed. "Good, good you're almost there." He encouraged. "Do you mind if I film this? A shipling's birth is something no one's ever seen before." He asked. "Just do your job and I'll do mine." Northwestern growled, fixing him with a harsh stare. "Thank you." He said and sticking a waterproof camera on the end of a pole, he lowered it beneath the water.

It wasn't a moment too soon for Northwestern gave one last mighty push and the first shipling emerged. It was the first time a shipling had ever been recorded coming into the world. The second emerged minutes later and both swam to the surface nicely. The chirped and cried, searching for their mother. Northwestern, exhausted by triumphant, rolled back upright and cooed from her engines. The two shiplings chirped again and nestled into her side. "Come here my darlings." She purred, licking them. They whined and whimpered about the cold but soon settled in and began to suckle. Northwestern smiled.

Time Bandit returned and let Sig and the crew back aboard. "Well I'll be dipped!" The captain exclaimed. "It's a pair of shiplings." Northwestern smiled at him. "You're a grandfather Sig." She said. Sig reached down to pet one of the shiplings. There was a boy and a girl. Sig eyed the boy. "He looks just like his father." He said. "Then he is Big Valley II." Northwestern declared. Sig smiled. "And the girl?" He asked. "Anatuliv." Northwestern replied. "Beautiful names for beautiful shiplings." He said.

Northwestern nuzzled her daughter and son. Time Bandit moved up alongside her. "Aw, they're adorable." He cooed. Northwestern chuckled. "Aren't they." She purred. He nudged her. "You did a great job, well done." He said. "Thank you." She replied. "Now you rest." Sig ordered. Northwestern nodded. Time Bandit dropped anchor and curled up beside her, forming a protective 360 degree wall around the small shiplings as the two adults fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Finish Line

Chapter 4~ Finish Line

Once the storm died down, Northwestern raised her anchor and prepared to head out once more. Her shiplings were placed indoors to keep them out of the way of the weather and the crew on deck. Sig had his hands full keeping them from getting into too much trouble. Playing daddy to Big Valley and Anatuliv was not his idea of fun but the crew loved the babies. "Aww," Edgar cooed. "So cute." He tickled Big Valley under the chin and the baby ship squealed, licking his hand. "Edgar!" Sig growled. "Get your fat ass out on deck right now!" Edgar gulped. "Aye, aye sir." He replied and raced away before he could bring more of Sig's wrath down on him.

Sig put the two shiplings in the wheelhouse. Anatuliv was content to just curl up at Sig's feet and go to sleep. Big Valley however was an eager explorer and Sig had to put him on a leash. Big Valley wanted to climb up and see out so Sig picked him up and set him on his lap. "Now you stay there." He growled as Big Valley poked his gray head up to peak out the windows. The crew saw this and laughed. "He's an adventurous little thing." They said. Northwestern smiled. "How are they behaving for you?" She asked. "Anatuliv is a sweetheart." Sig replied. "But I've got my hands full with the boy." Northwestern chuckled at this. "Boys will be boys." She said. Sig just rolled his eyes.

She filled her tanks quickly and set a course for St. Paul. When she offloaded she found that she was short several thousand pounds of her quota which meant another trip out. Neither she nor the crew was bothered by this. Any trip without any injuries was a good one in her book.

On her way back to the grounds she passed Aleutian Ballad. "Hey, I heard you had to go back to Dutch." She said. He nodded. "Damn greenhorn had a nervous breakdown and threatened to jump overboard if I didn't." He replied. Northwestern rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, greenhorns are nothing but trouble." She grumbled. "Tell me about it." He muttered. "That's why I don't take many on." She said. "Smart of you and take my advice, from now on don't!" He growled. "Oh I won't." She laughed. "I have my hands full enough as it is." She said. Ballad noticed how thin she'd become. "You had your shiplings!" He exclaimed. She nodded. "Wow, how many were there?" He asked. "Two, a boy and a girl." She answered. "Are they cute?" He asked. "Of course, the most adorable little things I've ever seen." She replied. He laughed and the two talked for a time but Ballad had to continue on so saying his farewells he left.

Returning to his grounds he found them swamped with 90 mph winds and heavy seas. "Great, just great!" He sighed. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, a huge rogue wave, at least 60 feet high slammed into his starboard side. Ballad shrieked and rolled over. Power was lost as the fuel was cut off from the engines. Ballad was left wounded and completely at the mercy of the Bering Sea.


	5. Chapter 5: Friends and Rivals

Chapter 5~ Friends and Rivals

Ballad moaned as he tried to catch his wind after the blow. The power was out and everything was dark. Ballad knew he had to get up or his crew would be in deep trouble. He couldn't stay on his side. He tried to find his keel, yelping in pain and falling back down on his side. He tried again with the same result. The third try produced results. He gasped. "Ah god that hurts!" He cried. Captain Corky Tilley stroked him. "Steady old boy." He said. "Broken ribs." Ballad said. "Damn it hurts, it really, really hurts." The old ship was no stranger to pain, he'd had plenty of it over the years but ribs were another matter. It hurt beyond words to just breathe and each time he moved his ribs gave him a shockwave of pain. Slowly, inch by inch he made his way back to Dutch Harbor.

Northwestern meanwhile was on the crab enjoying herself. She began seeing Cornelia's pots pass by her starboard side. Recalling how her friend was ribbing her and Sig back in town she decided to get even. "What do ya say we haul one of those and play with it." She said. "You read my mind." Sig replied. The crew hauled the pot over the side. "Weld the door shut." Northwestern chuckled. "I hope it's 3 in the morning when they haul it and everyone's really tired." The commotion on deck woke Big Valley up and the little shipling snuck out of the wheelhouse and downstairs out onto the deck. Matt saw him first. "Come to join in the fun, little fella?" He asked. Big Valley squeaked and licked Matt's hand. "Come on, we could use the help." He said. Northwestern watched as her son meandered his way to the bow. "Mamma?" He squeaked. "Yes darling?" She replied. "What are they doing?" He asked. "We are playing a prank on a friend." She replied. "What's a prank?" He asked. "A prank is a silly joke." She replied. "So you're playing a joke on your friend?" He asked. "Yep. See there. Matt is welding the pot shut so her crew can't get it open." She said. "But mamma, that ain't no joke, that's mean." He whined. She laughed. "It's all in good fun, Valley." She replied.

Later, Cornelia steamed by and picked up the pot that Northwestern tampered with. At first, nothing seemed wrong but then the crew started saying "The door's welded shut." Cornelia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very, very funny Maverick." She muttered, assuming that her partner boat and new mate had been running around here thinking he was being cute. On a whim, she decided to give Maverick a call. "Nope wasn't me." He said when Cornelia told him. "Somebody else fucked with ya, I'm serious."

15 miles away, Northwestern was sniggering to herself. She'd been listening to the chatter on the radio and could no longer resist. She went fishing for Cornelia's reaction. "How's the battle going?" She asked. "Oh it's going." Cornelia replied. "I heard that you think Maverick's been playing with your pots." Northwestern said. "No, he uh, he's my partner boat he can do whatever he wants with 'em. We touch each other's gear all the time." Cornelia replied. i"You touch more than that."/i Northwestern thought but said nothing. "Ah okay, well is he allowed to weld 'em too?" She asked. "Well he said he didn't do that so I don't know. It wasn't you was it." Cornelia teased. "Oh no. I wouldn't haul anyone's gear." Northwestern replied. Cornelia wasn't fooled. "You did didn't you!" Northwestern ducked her head in silent laughter. "No, no, an angel like me messing with somebody's pot, no!" She whined. Cornelia rolled her eyes. "Now we know who did the pot." She muttered. "Alright, no more pranks I'll be a good girl." Northwestern promised. "If you can be a good girl." Cornelia replied. They both laughed.

A day later, Cornelia had her chance at payback when she hauled one of Northwestern's pots. She took all the crab out and replaced it with garbage. As an added bonus, she put a pipe on the line so Northwestern couldn't get it through the block. "Retaliation, Cornelia Marie style." She laughed as the pot was launched over.

When Northwestern went to haul it in later that day, she was surprised to find she couldn't haul it over because of the pipe. "Very clever Cornelia." She chuckled with a shake of her head. "You should've done something worse to Cornelia mom." Big Valley said. Northwestern chuckled. After 45 minutes of head scratching, Edgar came up with a solution. He attached a chain to the line and used the crane to haul the pot up. Instead of crab, inside the pot was "Garbage!" Northwestern busted up laughing. "I haven't seen the pipe before. I have to give that about a nine that was pretty good." She said. She admitted defeat to her blue rival. Cornelia had won this prank war.


	6. Chapter 6: A New Hunt Begins

Chapter 6~ A New Hunt Begins

It was Opilio season now on the crab grounds and every boat was gearing up for what always turned out to be a long, painful, and cold brutal season. "January in the Bering Sea." Cornelia said. "The days are long and the nights, are even longer." laughed Maverick. "It's a season of cold wet, misery, and pain." Northwestern said. "I love it." Cornelia rolled her eyes at her friend. "You're crazy." She said. "You have to be to do this job." Northwestern replied. Cornelia smiled. "We're all crazy." She said. "Amen." Maverick agreed, nuzzling his mate. Cornelia purred. Northwestern eyed them. "So any chance of a few little buns in the future?" She asked. Cornelia smiled. "We're not there yet but I'm hoping." She said. Northwestern nudged her. "You'd make a fine mother." She said. Cornelia laughed. "Thanks North." She said.

Time Bandit winked as he passed by them. "Going out early again?!" Northwestern asked. "What, would you rather sit around until the season starts then head out when you could already be out on the grounds and drop pots when the season starts?" He retorted. Northwestern rolled her eyes. "Don't expect me to answer your mayday." She muttered. Time Bandit laughed and raced out but not before nudging Northwestern affectionately which made the white ship blush. "Time Bandit!" She stammered. The response she got was lighthearted laughter as the young male raced out of Dutch. She sighed. Cornelia eyed Northwestern slyly. "He likes you." She giggled. "You think I didn't get the hint." Northwestern muttered. "Ah come off it, you enjoy his affections." Cornelia said. Northwestern shrugged. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Who needs to know?" She asked. "Ah, playing hard to get are we?" Cornelia teased. Northwestern didn't answer, she just huffed and turned around. "Aww, come on don't be like that. We're just playing with ya." Cornelia called. "You know you love him." Maverick tried to put in helpfully. Northwestern sniffed. "No, I do not know that and no I am not in love with him. He's just kind to me is all." She replied. "Whatever you say." Maverick said, unconvinced. Northwestern glared at him and sailed away.

She left port a day later but instead of going up to the crab grounds she stuck close to the Aleutian Islands to fish cod. "Fish! Fish, fish, fish, fish, fish." She laughed excitedly. "Yep, it's cod." Sig agreed. Northwestern bounced through the swells in excitement. She usually did salmon tendering in the summer but she'd never tried to catch any fish herself in a long while. Big Valley II and Anatuliv sailed alongside their mother. They were big enough now to keep up as long as the seas remained calm and here close to the islands, they usually did. Northwestern's only fear was running aground. "Now you two stick close to me." She ordered. "No wondering off." "Yes mamma." Anatuliv said agreeable. "Big Valley, that goes for you too." Northwestern fixed a stern eye on her adventurous son. "Yes mamma, I'll obey." He said. "Good boy." She said and they continued on in silence.

As Northwestern launched her cod pots Cornelia arrived on the crab grounds. Already the weather was looking nautical. "30 foot seas and 70 knot winds, just another day in the Bering Sea." She muttered. Her first pots were launched over the rail and she grinned. "Let the misery and pain begin!" She laughed. The crew shuddered. More than one thought that their ship was crazy but then again, all had to be a little bit crazy to do this job.


	7. Chapter 7: Smoke on the Water

Chapter 7~ Smoke on the Water

It was cold, so cold that the water seemed to have a mist hang over it. "Ice smoke." Time Bandit muttered. When the temperature dropped low enough, an icy mist clung to the waves as the spray froze. Ice sickles hung from Time Bandit's wheelhouse and crane. A huge bunch of ice built up around his bow where he was hitting the waves head on. "Brr." The black ship muttered with a slight shiver. He eyed the progress on deck and that was enough to lift his spirits. The reason being the pots were coming over the rail stuffed with crab. For the past few days, they hadn't been catching anything and Time Bandit discovered why. The bait had gone sour so cod pots were launched and the bait was collected. Now, the crab seemed to be enjoying the fresh bait and the numbers were showing it. "Beautiful fishing." Time Bandit murmured. "Beautiful."

Meanwhile, Maverick was trying to launch his pots as quickly as possible before the storm set in. It wasn't fast enough and already the seas were becoming more and more dangerous to work in. Maverick's radio came alive. He sighed and patched himself in. "Yes Cornelia?" He asked. "Now is that any way to greet your mate?" Cornelia replied sternly. "Sorry." Maverick muttered. "I want you out of that weather and into St. Paul now." She ordered. "Cornelia, I'm working as fast as I can." Maverick whined. "It's becoming too dangerous for you out there, I want you in St. Paul harbor now!" Cornelia growled. Her voice turned softer as she whispered "I just don't want to lose you." "I know, I know." Maverick sighed. "Alright, I'm heading in." He said. "Thank you Maverick, I love you." She whispered. "I love you too." He replied and set a course for St. Paul.

Northwestern kept to the cod grind. The seas were flat calm and the sun actually shown down on her. She paused briefly, feeling its weak but warm rays hit her face. She purred. "Hmm, it's not often I get the sun up here." She murmured. "Not like this." Big Valley and Anatuliv were playing with the buoys Northwestern dropped overboard with the pots. "Don't pop them now." She warned. "Or I'll never find those pots." Big Valley grinned. "Don't worry mama, we'll be careful." He replied. "Good boy." She said.

She stared at the sun. "Unreal." She murmured. "Just unreal." She was just beginning to relax when a squeal roused her. "MAMA!" It was Anatuliv. The white ship whirled around. "Darling, what is it? What's the matter?" She cried, racing over. "He hit me with the red buoy." Anatuliv sniffled. "Big Valley, did you?" Northwestern demanded. "T'was an accident." The little gray ship muttered. Northwestern sighed and licked her daughter. "You're okay now. There's no blood." She said. "Now I think it's time you two had a nap." "Aww mom!" Big Valley whined. Northwestern gave him a harsh stare. "Now Big Valley." She growled. "Okay." He reluctantly conceded and let Northwestern put him on deck where he and his sister crawled inside to rest.

Northwestern fished well into the night and around 3 in the morning she got a call from Cornelia. "Hey, how's it going up there?" She asked. "Cold, wet and miserable." Cornelia replied. "Just yesterday there was a huge storm. 40 foot seas and 100 mph winds. I had to convince Maverick to run into St. Paul to take shelter." She said. "Damn, sounds ugly." Northwestern said. "It was. Those who got around to the island said it was 2 degrees there last night." Cornelia said. "Wow." Northwestern whispered. "It is like Hawaii here compared to that." "You should just stay where you are Northwestern." Cornelia said. "I was thinking about coming up soon cause I have a big hunk of change to catch." Northwestern said. "I know that but for now, stay where you are. I'd do the same thing if I had the option." Cornelia said. Northwestern nodded. "Well, alright. I'll talk to you later then." She said. "Alright." Cornelia replied. She hung up and sighed, looking out to the thrashing waves and ice chunks that moved by as she plowed along. "Well, she's in the right spot."


	8. Chapter 8: Man vs Ice

Chapter 8~ Man vs. Ice

On the northern edge of the crab grounds, Rollo was plodding along. He was only going have the speed he should because of the ice that was weighing him down. "Come on guys!" He whined to his crew. "I'm sinking here!" "If you were sinking, we'd know it." The crew replied as the calmly went out and started bashing ice. Rollo was not in a good mood. He'd been up for days, he was tired sore and ready to head back to Dutch. "Come on, come on!" He grumbled. "Well if you'd quit your whining then maybe we could get this done a little faster." His captain, Eric replied. Rollo sniffed. "Says you." He muttered but didn't say anything else. Teeth bared, body tense for a fight, Rollo lowered his head and continued on.

Not far away, Time Bandit was having similar difficulties though for different reasons. He had his head in the clouds as Andy Hillstrand so nicely put it. "Maybe if you got your head out of your ass, and focused on your job then maybe we could get some work done!" He practically snarled. "Well excuse me." Bandit grumbled. He was thinking about Northwestern. He knew she was down close to Dutch fishing cod which would be what he'd do if he had the option. The more he thought about the white vessel, the more he wished he was with her. The way her blue eyes, perfectly accented by her blue markings against her white hull, would light up when she smiled was something to behold. He knew she could only deny it for so long. While she pretended to be hostile towards him, warding him off with a sharp word, in her eyes he saw the truth. She loved him. She truly did but she wasn't willing to admit it and with the recent death of her old mate Big Valley still fresh in her mind, Bandit could understand her reluctance. But he was patient, and was willing to wait until the day when she would come to him.

A yelp escaped him, snapping him out of his daydream. "What did I tell you?!" Andy snarled. "Sorry." Bandit muttered and kept his eyes and his mind firmly on his work, lest he endure the wrath of his captain again.

Over 200 miles to the south, Northwestern plodded along, hauling cod pot after cod pot after cod pot. She'd been doing it for 3 days straight and was exhausted. She felt Sig's hand on the throttle and he gently eased back into neutral. The crew ordered the anchor dropped. "You've earned a rest old girl." He said. "Thank you." She murmured, too tired to speak much else. He nodded and went down to take a nap as well. Anatuliv and Big Valley II pressed into their mother's hull. "Mamma, are you alright?" Valley squeaked as the white ship coughed. "I'm alright dear." She replied, licking them both atop their heads. "But now we should rest." She said. They nodded and cuddled up against her. She curled protectively around them, swinging on her anchor and within seconds she was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9: On the Edge

Chapter 9~ On the Edge

Time Bandit lowered his head and raced north for all he was worth. He'd heard that the fishing was good up near the ice pack but very few boats risked it because the ice could take their gear or rip their hulls wide open. It was the stuff that sliced Titanic's hull and Time Bandit had no intentions of going down like her. Halting just 40 miles south of the leading edge of the pack, he checked his depth gage which read about 250 fathoms and started stringing out pots. He was going to pull a Hail Mary string which means that all of his 200 plus pots were going to be dropped in one little area, leaving no spot on the seafloor untouched. "Let's just hope this works." He murmured.

Far to the south, Cornelia was struggling. Her starboard main engine had blown and she was in a lot of pain. Using her remaining engine, she hauled herself up to the first of a 30 pot string. She hurt all over. Her remaining port engine hurt from pushing her weight around, her muscles hurt from being tensed with the pain all the time and now her head hurt from the rant Phil was giving her and her crew over the loudhailer. "Misery, pure misery." She moaned. "That's Opilio." Freddie replied simply. Cornelia sighed and raised her eyes upwards to look at the camera. "Welcome to hell." She sighed. "Amen." Todd agreed.

After a 3 hour nap, Northwestern felt refreshed and ready to fish again. Her shiplings were still a bit sleepy so she gently plucked them up and out them safely on her bow, forward of the wheelhouse. There was no danger of them falling off. The seas were calm and the sun was shining. Northwestern could actually feel its warmth seeping into her bones. "Hmm, this is unreal." She murmured. One would be lucky to see the sun or relatively calm seas once in the season but to have them for nearly a week now, it just didn't seem feasible. Northwestern purred in happiness. The sun felt really good but she had work to do. Shaking herself, the white vessel engaged her engines and sailed up to the first pot. After maybe 10 pots the crew started whining. Matt actually dared to go up to the wheelhouse and ask Sig how many pots there were. That was a big no-no. No one asked the captain what he was doing. Smirking, Northwestern decided to teach Matt a lesson and taking a board, wrote in sharpie black "SHUT UP AND FISH!" She had Sig put it on back door of the wheelhouse. Seeing it, Matt laughed. "That's what I get for asking." He said. Northwestern grinned. The next pot came over the rail, stuffed with cod. Before the crew could slice their heads, she rolled a bit to one side, causing a pair to roll off into the water where she quickly snatched them up and ate one live. The other she held in her mouth as her shiplings, by now wide awake, leaped off her deck with a squeal and begged for some. Smiling, Northwestern, nipped the fish, killing it before setting it down beside her kids. They fell on it eagerly, gulping it down. Sig leaned out the wheelhouse window. "Aww, ain't that cute." He said. Northwestern smiled.

At the end of the string, it was announced she'd head back to Dutch to offload her catch before gearing up for the Opilio season. Her muscles instinctively tensed in anticipation for taking on the Bering Sea's rough waters of the north. The sea didn't give up her bounty easily and Northwestern was ready for the challenge. She wasn't sure about her shiplings though. Sure they had rode it out with her when they were little but she had no choice then and now that they were bigger, they'd want to spend their time outside more than inside but outside would be more dangerous. This was January, winter in the roughest waters in the world. Though it was a tough decision, in the end she decided to leave them with Lady Alaska who had taken up cod fishing herself. The old ship had lost her sight completely but her hearing was as good as ever. "If they try to sneak off, I'll know it." She said. "Keep an eye on them." Northwestern warned. "They like to wonder, especially Big Valley." Lady Alaska smiled. "Don't you worry, they're going to be good little shiplings." She looked at the pair, now stationed at her side. "You'll be good won't you?" She asked. "Yes, Alaska." Big Valley squeaked. Northwestern smiled and leaned down to nuzzle the pair. "Be on your best behavior. I'll be back soon." She replied. "You promise?" Anatuliv squeaked, speaking for the first time. A remarkably intelligent look was in her eyes. "Sweetie," Northwestern sighed. "I know, there's always a chance you would break that promise." Anatuliv replied. Northwestern nodded. "Precisely. But I do promise I'll be very careful and I'll try my best to come back. Alright?" "Alright." Anatuliv agreed. "Come here now, give mamma a kiss goodbye." Northwestern said. Eagerly, they came forward and Northwestern gave each a peck. "I love you both, very much." She said. "We know mamma, we love you to." Big Valley replied, nuzzling his mother. Northwestern purred and before she could start crying, she backed off and turned her bow for open water, gaining speed as she went. Behind her, she could hear her shipling's wail. Crying for her to come back. She bowed her head and sounded her horn to reassure them. "I'll be back soon!" She called. Before long she was out in open water, making a beeline for the crab grounds. Silently, she thought i"I will come back, I promise my dear children."/i Wiping the tears from her eyes, she plowed on, leaving Dutch behind.


	10. Chapter 10: Priblof Stare

Chapter 10~ Priblof Stare

It was several days by the time Northwestern reached her fishing grounds far to the north. By then, she'd received news from Dutch Harbor. Anatuliv had caught the flue that had been going around for a while. While a full grown ship shouldn't have any problem with it, Anatuliv was still a shipling and easily could suffer badly from it. It worried Northwestern regardless but she knew she couldn't afford to be distracted. Out here, one wrong move could kill someone and she had no intentions of breaking her perfect record yet.

Not too far away, Time Bandit was grumbling to himself. He'd thought things couldn't get any worse and he was wrong. They could, big time. The picking block used to haul the lines in had broken, forcing the crew to perform the back breaking work of hauling it in by hand. "From now on, I won't assume anything unless it's already happened." He growled and plowed on.

Cornelia Marie was listening to the chatter on the radio. Needless to say, she was bored which was why she was doing that. She wasn't usually an eavesdropper but sometimes her curiosity could get the better of her. And there were usually some interesting things to hear on the radio.

She was in the middle of hearing a rather invigorating conversation between Time Bandit and Aleutian Ballad about Northwestern. Cornelia chuckled as she thought of what her friend would do if she heard what the two males were saying. Something along the lines of cruel and unusual punishment seemed likely.

Her thoughts were interrupted when one of her deckhands David Millman, suddenly rolled on the deck, holding his ankle. "Uh oh." She muttered. Injuries out here were quiet common, not one deckhand walked off the boat at the end of the season without a scrape, a cut or some kind of bone injury. From the sound of Millman's yelling, it sounded rather painful. By the time he got inside, it was already swelling. Sighing, Cornelia didn't even need to be told what to do. She took control herself and set a course back to Dutch._ "Such good numbers too." _She thought crossly. Ah well, that was how the Bering Sea worked sometimes.


	11. Chapter 11: Race Against the Ice

Chapter 11~ Race Against the Ice

Rollo listened to his captain as he enforced discipline on his crew. First Rollo had learned that his crew had miscounted the crab, costing them a hefty fine for going over. Then the coast guard informed them that they had to empty their tanks completely and they were forced to sell the crab at under the market prices. Rollo was pissed, his captain was pissed and pretty much everyone else was pissed. Rollo would enjoy teaching his crew a lesson later out at sea but for now he was content to let his captain dress them down.

Back in Dutch, it was discovered that Cornelia's crewman had suffered an ankle sprain and it was a bad idea to go back out to sea. But Millman was a tough man and instead of remaining on shore, he decided to do the only thing he could do aboard a boat, play cook. Cornelia wasn't sure if this was a good idea, it would be better if he stayed on land but Millman would hear none of it from either his ship or his captain and so Cornelia sailed out with her full crew.

Maverick had spent the past two weeks fishing on a sandbar when he was forced to move south off phenomenal fishing due to the approaching icepack. The fishing here was good as well but now he'd have to leave it. The crab from the northern grounds had been in his tank for nearly 2 weeks. If they weren't offloaded soon, they'd die and the processors didn't pay for dead crabs. Maverick sighed. "So much for good fishing." He grumbled as he set a course for St. Paul. On the way he passed Rollo who looked thoroughly pissed off. "What's got your prop in a twist?" Maverick asked. "My crew miscounted the crab and I was forced to pay a heavy fine and sell the rest of my catch for an under the market price!" Rollo spat. "Bad luck." Maverick murmured sympathetically. "Teaching your crew a lesson?" He asked. "I've been thinking about it but I don't know what to do." Rollo replied. Maverick leaned forward and whispered quietly "Sometimes the old ways work the best." Rollo smiled. "Thanks for the tip." He said. "No problem." Maverick replied and the two went on their way.

Northwestern was just about fed up with everything. The long hours were taking their toll and while Sig promised them a rest, none seemed to be forthcoming. At one time she wouldn't have been that bothered by it but now she just wanted to go home and be with her shiplings. "I know old girl." Sig sighed. "I know how you feel. We all have families we want to get back to but there isn't much we can do about it right now." Northwestern sighed, blinking hard. It must've been the wind that was making her eyes sting, yes that was it. "I hope we can get done soon." She murmured. "We all do." Sig replied.


	12. Chapter 12: Cashing in

Chapter 12~ Cashing In

The ice pack was hell this season. Maverick had already lost one pot in his string, he really didn't want to lose another. Coming up on the next set of buoys he prepared to go in close to allow the man at the rail to throw the hook and snag the damn pot. But the ice had other plans. It shifted suddenly, the boys were dragged, the orange one vanished and then the white one when under as well. "Fuck!" Maverick swore. "How many more god damn pots are we gonna lose?!"

Time Bandit wasn't having much success either. Though he hadn't lost any pots his crab count was mediocre at best. "This is what I get for coming up here?" He grumbled. "I want a pay raise!" Captain Andy Hillstrand just laughed. "All in good time my friend." He replied. Time Bandit just huffed.

Cornelia grimaced as she felt the ice scrap up against her hull. "Come on, I want to get through this!" She hissed. The longer she remained in the ice, the more nervous she became. She trusted ice about as far as she could throw. "Come on, come on!" She growled, putting more power into her engines. She grimaced as the still sore starboard main made its protests known. She really shouldn't have been pushing it but when did she ever follow doctors' orders anyway? Inch by inch, she fought her way through the ice.

Northwestern practically raced into Dutch to collect her children before sailing home to Seattle. Anatuliv and Big Valley II raced away from Alaska as they met their mother just before the breakwater. "Mamma, mamma!" They squealed happily. "Oh my babies! I missed you!" Northwestern cried, hugging them up. "We missed you too momma." Anatuliv purred. Big Valley said nothing, burying his bow into his mother's white hull. _"They're worth it." _She thought to herself. _"No matter how much pain and misery I have to go through each season, it's worth it for this." _They were safe, both of them were safe and that's all that mattered to her in the end.


End file.
